I. Field of the Invention
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/315,294 filed Aug. 27, 2001.
This invention relates to the operation of miniature computing devices such as personal digital assistants, watches, and other small form factor computing devices whose miniature form provides limited space for providing input means. In particular, this invention discloses a simple contextual navigation operating method for controlling data entry and display on miniature computing devices which requires a minimal number of buttons to accomplish a plurality of input and display operations. Using a unique combination of only two finger operated buttons along with an optional but preferred voice input button, the user is presented with an easy navigation and input system for a small or miniature computing device which eliminates the need for keyboards and stylus-based entry which grow ever more cumbersome as the size of computing devices decrease.
II. Description of the Related Art
Handheld and other miniature computing devices represent one of the fastest growing sectors of the electronics industry. IDC predicts the demand for smart handheld devices alone will grow from 12.9 million units in 2000 to over 63.4 million by 2004, creating a worldwide market worth more than $26 billion. Automobile industry experts predict 50% of the 50 million vehicles produced each year will have in-vehicle telematics and multimedia systems by 2005. Further, as an example, more than 5 million U.S. consumers carry miniature computing devices secured to their key chains which communicate with computers at gasoline service stations in order to speed up transaction times and take advantage of promotions.
The field of miniature computing device includes wrist-based computers, small cellular phones, and next generation car keys—almost any micro-miniature computing device that requires user interaction and the ability to run multiple applications. However, unlike desktop and even laptop computers, miniature computer devices have very limited space in which to present data and to receive input from the user. Further, with the continued shrinking of computing devices and increases in the memory carried by such devices, a computer the size of a wristwatch or car key with the computing power of a desktop computer is already a reality. However, as computing devices shrink, and memory and processing in such devices grows, the input, retrieval, and display of data is becoming a vexing problem.
Prior art attempts at solving this problem have included miniature keyboards and stylus based handwriting recognition. However, neither of these solutions is amendable to smaller form factor devices. Keyboards need to be large enough for adult fingers to reach every key without accidentally depressing adjacent keys to the desired key. Additionally, shrinking display screens caused by physically shrinking computing devices make stylus-based input impractical, especially for those people who have trouble reading small type or hitting the correct point on a small screen with a very small stylus.
Other examples of prior art have dispensed with a full alphanumeric keyboard by providing a numeric keyboard in which multiple presses of a given numeric key to generate a specific letter. This type of operating method still imposes a significant size limitation on a device and tends to be slow to use. Furthermore, entry of punctuation and spaces, along with editing requires the user to remember the special functions of the numeric and other keys. However, because of the small size of the display and relatively large number of buttons, there is no way for these devices to show the effect of all of available buttons.
This usability problem is particularly important in miniature computing devices aimed at uses in telematics applications, key chains, and watches. These devices are typically aimed at broad consumer markets and thus require easy and intuitive usability by consumers with minimal experience with such devices and minimal interest in devoting substantial time to learning how to use such devices. One prior art solution is a stylus-based device utilizing handwriting recognition. However, as with keyboards, the need to provide sufficient writing space limits the minimum size of such a device. In addition, as devices become smaller, the stylus itself, which needs to be long enough to be securely held by the user, becomes a limitation on the minimal size of such devices. The stylus is also a liability in terms of the need to carry and secure when not being used. Beyond these size and carrying limitations, stylus-based devices in the prior art have had problems with slow entry of data, and the need in some implementations for the user to learn a variant of the alphabet to allow the device to adequately distinguish between different characters.
An additional means of operating a computing device employed in the prior art is of a wheel device that is rotated to operate. Some implementations include the ability to press the wheel to allow it to also act as a button. However, this potential solution also has its shortcomings. First, the wheel must be placed on the side of a device to be easily rotated, limiting use for applications such as watches where the device is worn rather than held. Further, the wheel mechanism is a liability in terms of device lifespan the protruding portion of the wheel is easily damaged when dropped or bumped. Finally, while the use of a wheel to navigate through lists of data or functions is reasonably intuitive, the rotating wheel is unintuitive to use for other input operations. More importantly, because a wheel is easily rotated off the desired selection, use of the wheel requires that the user maintain eye contact with the device while using to ensure that desired navigation has occurred. This has obvious disadvantages in low light and driving applications.
What is needed to allow further miniaturization of computing devices is an operating method that does not place a substantial inherent limit on miniaturization and that requires only a minimal time investment to learn how to use.